Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Bachelor in Paradise Blu-ray Movie Review

Hope's flings eternal.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III April 28, 2022

A mostly middle-of-the-road romantic comedy starring Bob Hope ten years after his last great joke, Jack Arnold's Bachelor in Paradise is a painfully dated production that nonetheless might still carry a certain charm for die-hard fans. And if nothing else, it's a pretty great time capsule of Woodland Hills, California circa 1961, where tawdry author A.J. Niles (Hope) ends up after a shady accountant leaves him with a six-figure debt. Unable to leave the country, A.J. -- under the new name "Jack Adams" -- hides out in suburban "Paradise Village" to research his next book and ends up being pursued by its surplus of bored young housewives. If that's not believable, just remember that Bachelor in Paradise's main character is a millionaire actually being punished for not paying federal taxes.

The long and short of Bachelor in Paradise's entire first half is covered in the brief synopsis above, with the only real exception being our title character's unrequited fondness for Paradise Village's community secretary Rosemary Howard (Lana Turner), who's suspicious of Jack's every move and perfectly inhabits the "Karen" prototype. Of course any lover of romantic comedies knows how that situation will turn out, but "will they or won't they?" surprisingly doesn't leave room for much else but a variety of sitcom-grade antics as Jack struggles to adapt to domestic life and flirts with his lovely neighbors, including the sexually charged Dolores (Janis Paige), slightly more demure Linda (Paula Prentiss), and others. While Jack's debt isn't a permanent problem, it isn't long before his true identity is known and several of the local husbands file for divorce, leaving our poor swinging hero in court for completely different reasons.

Bachelor in Paradise isn't bad by any stretch, it's just mostly predictable and takes very few chances with its narrative, feeling more like a three-part sitcom arc than a big-screen feature. It doesn't help that most of Bob Hope's quips -- not to mention his unbroken, leering gaze -- have aged like milk, which doesn't exactly make our protagonist an easy man to root for. At best it's passable fare, but mostly by way of its time-capsule charm as we get a nice look at early-1960s Woodland Hills and its then-modern supermarkets, harvest gold appliances, and colorful fashion. Die-hard fans of the comedian -- who would live for another 52 years after the film's theatrical release -- will find more to enjoy here... but as-is, Bachelor in Paradiseisn't exactly the most essential catalog release in Warner Bros.' deep library.

Nonetheless, Warner Archive has polished the film to a precise shine, from its playful opening credits to the warm, sunny landscapes of idealized southern Californian suburbia and its many memorable landmarks. The lossless stereo audio sounds pretty great too, even if we don't get anything in the way of worthwhile bonus features.

Bachelor in Paradise Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Any adjectives I've applied to most other Warner Archive titles (exceptional, outstanding, etc.) clearly apply to Bachelor in Paradise, which is sourced from a new 4K restoration of the original camera negative. Aside from the somewhat soft and fuzzy opening credits and the occasional optical zoom, fine detail and textures look sharp as a tack with excellent clarity, density, and a very clean overall appearance that leaves absolutely no room for dirt and debris. Film grain is fine but ever-present, thanks to the boutique label's careful touch that preserves is analog roots, and colors look perfectly suited to the era with a natural palette dominated by greens, browns, and pale blues. It's about as perfect as catalog releases get from a visual perspective, likely exceeding original theatrical showings and, of course, all previous digital home video releases... which, as far as I know, are limited to Warner Archive's own DVD from 2011.

Last year, Warner Archive's now-quiet YouTube channel uploaded several clips showing off the new restoration including the four-minute opening clip and an early conversation between Jack and Rosemary. Gorgeous work indeed!

Bachelor in Paradise Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Bachelor in Paradise's robust stereo soundtrack gets plenty of love too on this striking DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio Track, which mostly adds a great deal of support for Henry Mancini's original score -- it really is a great effort and elevates a few scenes to modest heights, including a fun saxophone-driven piece that sounds awfully familiar to his classic Pink Panther theme. Everything else can't help but come in second, though: all the dialogue and background effects are presented in split mono with no separation, which can easily be tested during a few left-to-right drive-bys and other normally discrete moments. This creates a somewhat unique sound stage that might take some getting used to, but just think of it as a standard era-specific effort that opens up considerably during music cues.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only.

Bachelor in Paradise Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork and minimal extras.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:57) - This playful promotional piece can also be seen here.

Bachelor in Paradise Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jack Arnold's Bachelor in Paradise is more of a fun time capsule than a worthwhile romantic comedy: though successful in its day -- a sequel was even proposed, but never made -- many portions of its story haven't aged very well and, on the whole, it feels much more like an extended sitcom episode than a full-bodied big-screen production. (I'm also not a huge fan of Bob Hope, if that weren't obvious enough already.) Warner Archive's Blu-ray, on the other hand, makes the most of it with another beautiful 4K-sourced restoration that showcases its sunny southern Californian landmarks, many of which have changed or disappeared since 1961 but are perfectly preserved here. Henry Mancini's score is great, too. It's worth at least a once-over but is only recommended as a purchase for die-hard fans of the cast.